MELAKA: A total of 251 sexual offence cases involving higher education students were reported between January and August this year.
Citing police statistics, Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Lim Hui Ying said the figures underscored the need for sustained efforts to improve sexual safety in educational institutions.
She said the Waja Siswa Squad, part of the Women Against Crime initiative, was established to promote volunteerism and community involvement in raising awareness and addressing violence against women.
"In tackling this issue, we must not only understand how to protect ourselves but also how to help others appropriately," she said when officiating the Melaka-level Waja Siswa Squad programme at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) here today.
Also present were the ministry's deputy secretary-general (Management) Datuk Ruziah Shafei and Women's Development Department director-general Hanani Sapit.
Lim said violence against women and sexual harassment should not be taken lightly, as they could take various forms, including threats, humiliation, emotional manipulation, financial control and sexual abuse.
She said actions dismissed as jokes or expressions of affection should not be normalised if they violated personal boundaries, caused fear or made someone feel threatened.
She urged students to understand their rights and learn how to seek help if they experienced sexual harassment.
Lim also called on UTeM students, regardless of gender, to raise awareness among their peers and help create a campus environment that rejects violence and promotes healthy relationships.
She said the programme was expected to strengthen student participation in efforts to make campuses safer.
Lim said 340,667 volunteers had joined the Waja Squad nationwide as of September, comprising 264,461 women and 76,206 men.
She said men's participation as allies was important in promoting respect for women, rejecting harassment and encouraging healthy relationships, stressing that preventing violence was not solely women's responsibility.
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